One of Manchester’s most iconic restaurants has been reborn, with Cibo now ready to open its doors in the former Rosso sitehere in the city centre.
Rosso was a firm favourite for famous faces and a popular spot for a high-end Italian meal before it suddenly closed its doors last September.
It had been owned by footballing legend Rio Ferdinand since 2009 and was famed for its luxurious interiors.
But the incredible space at the top of King Street is ready for a new lease of life as part of the Cibo restaurants group, who have spent millions refurbishing it.
Cibo has transformed the already decadent Manchester city centre dining space into something even grander (Credit: The Manc Eats)
The new-look Italian restaurant is now filled with decadent materials like marble, gold and leather.
It’s a jaw-dropping space, thanks in part to the building’s Grade-II listed pedigree, which comes with a huge domed ceiling and marble pillars.
Cibo has added some lovely ornate olive trees to the doors and built a curved wall of wine that towers all the way up to the ceilings.
Brown leather chairs, embossed with Cibo’s logo and gold studs, plus marble tabletops only add to the opulence.
Gorgeous, right?
The huge restaurant will have space for 165 diners in the main restaurant and 20 downstairs in the private dining room.
Cibo is a well-established name on the North West restaurant scene, already operating restaurants in Wilmslow, Hale and Disley.
Click or swipe through the gallery below to see inside Cibo Manchester:
It was originally meant to open this city centre venue last November but has instead spent several extra months (and almost £3m) carefully restoring the building’s original features.
Cibo Manchester’s menu will be filled with crowd-pleasing Italian dishes, including pizzas, pasta, grills and seafood.
After round-the-clock work since September, the restaurant is finally set to open on Saturday, 6 April.
Manchester favourite Nell’s to open new site for New York-style pizza, karaoke and shuffleboard
Daisy Jackson
Much-loved New York-style pizza joint Nell’s has announced big plans for a brand new location – they’re heading to MediaCity.
Nell’s are stepping things up a notch with the move, adding in private karaoke booths, shuffleboard tables, and a huge outdoor terrace in their new site.
Nell’s MediaCity is set to open this autumn, promising 22-inch New York-style pizza (also served in gigantic slices), frozen margs, and ice cream sandwiches.
There are already several spots around Manchester where you can get a slice of Nell’s, including their restaurants at Kampus and in Altrincham, the OG Northern Quarter site in Common, and at The Beagle in Chorlton.
And now it’s Salford’s turn, with plans unveiled for the team to expand over to MediaCity’s quayside Orange Building.
Nell’s co-founder Jonny Heyes said: “We’ve been thinking about MediaCity for a long time, it’s such a great area and we’ve seen what brilliant operators like Kargo have achieved so when this space came up, we jumped on it!
“The venue is huge which has given us the chance to really play with the experience.
“This idea of karaoke and shuffleboard accompanying our made-for-sharing pizzas and great cocktails feels like a natural next step for us as a brand.”
Nell’s have also partnered with Deliveroo and Slerp to send 14-inch and 22-inch pizzas far and wide.
The new opening is expected to create more than 35 new jobs, and as Common & Co has twice been named in the Times 100 Best Places To Work list, you might want to check those out HERE.
These viral sensations are a plush toy created by Hong Kong-born, Netherlands-raised designer Kasing Lung, who drew inspiration from his love of fairytales to create a character with bunny-like ears, large eyes and big smiles.
They’re swinging off handbags all over the UK at the minute and people are queueing for hours for the latest Labubu drops.
At Sweet Dreams, they’re making edible chocolate Labubus using a special mould flown in from Japan.
Each one has a pistachio kunafa filling and is painstakingly painted by hand.
And that brings us neatly to the next viral craze at play here – Dubai pistachio chocolate.
An army of pistachio chocolate LabubuInside a chocolate pistachio Labubu
Kunafa is a staple in Middle Eastern bakes and pastries but hit the global mainstream last year when thick chocolate pistachio bars stuffed with it went viral online, spawning countless dupes and inspired specials.
And finally, chocolate covered strawberries – hardly a new invention, but this simple dessert has rocketed in popularity especially in food hotspots like Borough Market in London.
Head into Sweet Dreams and you can build your treat from the base up – choose white or milk melted chocolate for your strawberries, layer on pistachio kunafa, then top with either a milk or white chocolate Labubu.
A slightly daft novelty? Yes. But that doesn’t stop them being delicious.
This is the only place in the UK currently selling Dubai pistachio chocolate Labubus.
Daisy Jackson -
5th April 2024 
